Zero To Remind Us
by Cutie Kyuubi
Summary: I heard something. I focused to hear what it might be. A voice, it sounded deep. Male? Male, what? What is he saying? "Are you awake now? My little creation?" "You created me?" He nodded, "Yes, you are the first of nine others that I plan to create. You, are Zero, and your purpose is to remember." "Remember, what, exactly?" "Everything, Zero. I want you to remember everything."
1. Chapter 1

**Ha HA! My new 9 story! I'm sorry for the delay, however, for the past three days I have been going to the fair and I've been dead tired. I hope you'll like this story. I think I'll go into a bit more detail on how the others were like when they awoke. Excepting Nine of course. Anyway, here it is!**

I heard something. I focused to hear what it might be. A chair moving across the floor, a voice, it sounded deep. _Male? Male, what? What is he saying?_ I opened my optics, blinking rapidly. Everything seemed blurry, but the picture started to clear the more I blinked. Eventually, my hearing started to clear as well, and I was able to hear that, whoever was speaking, was directing their words to me.

"Are you awake now? My little creation?" _Creation? He created me?_ I looked up at the face of my creator, my vision clear now. He was an old man. Human, now that I think about it. Round glasses settling on his nose, his eyes were a startling green. His hair was white and balding, sticking out at odd angles, like he had been, constantly, running his hands through it. He smiled gently at me, and I felt, caring? A deep affection towards him? Like I wanted to help in any way I could. He untied my hands from where, I just realized, I had been hanging, and held me in one hand. Setting me on a hard surface, a desk, I stood up, looking around me to observe my surroundings.

There was an old record player next to a radio, papers and books were piled together next to a window, where I could make out the booming sound of bombs exploding, and bullets being fired. I blinked in surprise, looking up at my creator in question, I tried to ask him a question. No sound was made from me. Alarmed, I grabbed at my throat and my creator made a sound. Laughter. He was laughing. He grabbed something to my left, and opened the snaps holding together my chest and stomach. Though he was many times my own size, his hands were, surprisingly, gentle. He fiddled with something and I jumped as I felt a spark. Once he had finished, he snapped me closed, and sat back in his chair. "Now try speaking."

I hesitated before asking him, "You created me?"

He nodded, "Yes, you are the first of nine others that I plan to create. You, are Zero, and your purpose is to remember."

"Remember, what, exactly?" I couldn't help but ask and he smiled.

"Everything, Zero. I want you to remember everything," I thought about what he said for a moment and the old man, still smiling, waited for me to process what he'd told me before continuing, "We're at war," I looked up at him, "with the machines. Unfortunately, the start of this war was, partially, my doing. I must stress upon you how important it is that you do not tell the other nine what I am about to tell you. Understood?" I nodded to him, though I couldn't help but wonder why.

His eyes softened as he explained that it was he that had created the BRAIN. A sentient machine that was, as of now, attempting to destroy all life. A deep sadness gripped my soul as he continued to explain that, though the machine was sentient, it was unable to feel the same emotions a human could, because it lacked a soul. I asked him about myself then, unable to wait until he had finished telling me more about the BRAIN. What were the things that I was feeling? Was I like a human?

He smiled widely at me, "Ah, Zero. You are incredibly sharp, and I'm glad you asked. You are able to feel emotions, because you have a soul. Through a process, that I will show you later, I have managed to give you a part of my very own soul. A small part, but a part nonetheless," I smiled at him, happy to know that I was, indeed, alive and had a soul of my very own, and grateful to the man before me for sharing a part of himself with me.

Satisfied that my question had been adequately answered, he continued, explaining how the Chancellor of our government had promised it would not be used for war. As well as, how he had broken that promise. When the BRAIN was unable to cope with the stress of manufacturing so many machines, it had calculated the only way it saw to ending the war: destroying all life. When the machines had turned on the very ones that they had been created by, although my creator was against patronizing the BRAIN in the first place, he was named a traitor, and labeled, "Enemy of the State." A small rebel group, originally against the Chancellor, had hidden him, and he had begun the creation of myself.

Once he had finished, he seemed winded, like the mere action of explaining the war had exhausted him. I frowned in concern, "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. The transfer of souls is a tiring process, and I need to rest," I nodded and he gazed at me, in a way a father might his young child. He sighed, "I am going to lie down for a while. You are free to explore the room as you please."

He got up and left the room, but, as soon as he said I could explore, I had been off. Wandering around, flipping through books, viewing the pictures of various animals, and studying the blue prints that he had used to design me. I took extra time to memorize these sheets of paper. He seemed to take his time in drawing them, for they looked very well done, and were, proportionally, perfect.

I took the time to study my own appearance as well. My feet were long, and I found myself walking on the smaller part rather than using the whole foot. I tried using the whole foot to walk, and only succeeded in tripping over them. I decided that the creator had designed me to walk like those animals in his books. What was the term? I walked back to another book, a dictionary, and looked it up. Digitigrade it's called. Upon reading more about it, it seems like walking like I do results in a faster gait than those that walk in a plantigrade motion (using their entire foot). Proud of my new discovery, I moved on, yawning. Shaking my head slightly, I looked at the time. It was half past midnight. Blinking in surprise, I looked around to find something I could use as a bed. A pile of rags, though unconventional, looked promising. I rearranged them in a nest-like structure, and curled up inside it to sleep.

~~~~Blah~~~~

I woke to the sound of a door closing and the Creator walking into the room. I sat up, stretching, as he sat down at the desk and began to draw. I walked up to him and he held a hand out to me. Climbing up on it, he set me down on his shoulder where I sat and watched him draw out a new stitchpunk. This one would be called, "One," and his design differed greatly from my own. He, like the rest of the other nine, was plantigrade in design. Why he made me different in design from the others, I didn't know. So, I asked him.

He paused in designing One, and glanced over at me. The sound of the war growing ever more apparent outside. He responded, "Do you hear the sound of war out there, Zero?" I nodded to him. What did the war have to do with it? "I designed you like you are, so that you would have the best chance at evading enemies, and to survive for as long as possible."

I frowned, "But, what about the others?"

"They each have a different purpose, and those purposes require that they have a greater stability that you to fight back, or explore," I nodded, the dictionary had mentioned that, though plantigrades were slower, they had the advantage of stability.

He continued to draw, both of us remaining silent as the hours ticked by. Finally, he managed to finish. One looked like he was more patched together than my own fleece skin. Instead of snaps, he was designed with buckles, and his hands were thin with three digits on each finger. My own fingers (as I looked down at them) were similar to his own. Both his and my own feet are made of metal, but mine are more simple in design and his requires the use of more metal.

After the Creator had finished drawing, he began working on One, immediately. He worked on his inner clockwork first, and I watched carefully. He did say I was needed to remember, so I was paying complete and total attention so I would remember every detail. He, then, started on the frame; needed to hold up One's body. I helped him with the wiring. He seemed to struggle with it (and with due cause because of his massive size), so I threaded the wire around the body with him directing where they needed to go. He was able to connect them himself. Stating that (if anything were to go wrong) he would rather not risk me being injured. As he started working on One's cloth, I started thinking about what he might be like. How would he react to the world around him? Would he accept his role in life, as I had? What is his role?

I was jerked out of my musings by the creator suddenly moving. I had to grab his shirt to keep my balance, "Oh! I'm sorry, Zero! I forgot you were up there!"

I laughed, "It's OK. I forgot I was up her too!" We both shared a laugh together. I hoped we could spend more days like this. Working together, and having a wonderful time. Despite him having created the BRAIN, he was an amazing person to spend time with. He never meant for it to be used the way it was currently anyway.

The Creator tied One's hands to a frame, and connected a talisman to his insides via a wire. He held his hand out, and I jumped onto it as he lowered me to the desk. I was about to witness the transfer of souls! Although I was excited, I was also a bit worried. Not for me, or One, but for the Creator. I wondered if transferring your soul was a painful process, and I received my answer rather quickly.

As he lifted a strange sign to his face, a green light shone from him, and entered the talisman. I stared at it in fascination. _Is this what the soul looks like?_ A grunt of pain drew my attention to the Creator as the flow of green light stopped. He jerked back as the transfer stopped and I ran up to him, placing my small hands onto his one large one.

"Are you alright?"

He let out a shuddered breath before smiling at me, "Of course, Zero. I'm fine," Though he tried to convince me, I knew otherwise. His smile seemed strained, and his eyes had a level of fatigue that wasn't present a minute ago. But, I let it go and he faced One.

One was awake, and he was struggling emphatically against the ropes. The Creator untied him, and One, immediately, tried to get free of his hands.

Placing him down onto the desk, One tried to run away, but I grabbed his shoulder and spun him around, "Wait a minute, One! You need your voice box!" He nodded in acknowledgment, glaring coldly at our Creator, as I left him to grab his voice box. I turned back to him, his front was already opened, and I began to attach his voice box. He started, much like I did when mine was connected, and tried to speak. I was not as accomplished in mechanics as our creator, so it took a few tries (with the Creators help) to get One's voice working properly.

Once it was (finally) connected, One began to speak, "Thank you. Now who are you?"

"I'm Zero! This is our Creator," I pointed him out to One. Though he smiled pleasantly, One merely scoffed at him.

"Hmm, humans," I didn't really pay attention after that. After the Creator told him about the war between us and the machines, his attitude towards humans took a sharp decline. Though (luckily) the Creator didn't tell him everything he had explained to me, One still didn't like him very much, and he stormed out of the room.

When I attempted to bring him back, the Creator stopped me, "His place, is out there. Though, I do wonder if he will be a good leader for the others." I could only watch on in sorrow as One left us. How I hoped he would be alright. But, there was no time to dwell on it, as the Creator had already started drawing out the design for Two.


	2. Chapter 2

**Oh, snap! It's been so long since I've updated, and I'm very sorry for that. I truly am. However, in a few days, I will have finished an epic surprise for you guys! I'm not gonna tell you what it is, only that you'll wanna be sure you can see the picture for my other 9 story.**

**5x10 Love- I've probably said this before but, thank you for liking Zero! I've been working really hard to make this story one that people would enjoy.!**

**Skullwitch- Yeah, I've been using the Scientist's facebook page to get the awakening of each stitchpunk as accurate as possible to their personalities.**

Two's design differed from One's in a variety of ways. For starters, Two was shorter than One had been, even shorter than I am! Though, only by a little. The Creator had placed a dog tag on the top of Two's head. He said it used to belong to an old friend of his that had recently been killed by the machines. The name was Shane Acker, and I wondered what kind of person he might have been. We finished building Two rather quickly, as I now knew more about how to help, and before I knew it, the Creator had started transferring another part of his soul.

I watched the Creator as his soul was being taken from him, noting the frown of pain, and his fists clenched on the desk top. It seemed like it pained him even more than last time! I frowned in concern, and a thought suddenly occurred to me, if he continually shares his soul with each of us, then how much is left for him? Could he ever run out of his soul? He jerked back as the flow of his soul was cut off. Two would awaken soon, and the Creator started to untie him. I watched him carefully, he was even more ragged than when he gave his soul to One. Although, I had the feeling that, had I mentioned it, he would have denied being affected so much by the transfer.

"Zero? Would you mind grabbing Two's voice box?" I was shaken out of my thoughts, and I glanced at the two. Two had already awoken, and was looking at me in concern. I smiled at him, and ran to get his voice box. After retrieving it from the small box of supplies next to the jar of pens, I ran back to Two.

I placed the voice box inside his chest, and managed to attach it with very little help from our Creator. I was getting better at remembering where everything goes.

Two's very first words were ones of concern, "Are you alright, Zero? You seemed distracted."

I laughed a little, "Yes, Two, I'm fine. I was merely thinking."

"Alright, if you're sure," He then turned around, looking over the things littering the desktop with us. He seemed fascinated with each object, studying them all, much like I did after the Creator left to rest after creating me. He began picking up various objects, and I followed him. What was he planning to do with those?

He brought the objects to a book, and I was stopped by the Creator. He looked tired, and with good reason. The sun had already gone down, and he asked me if I could fill in Two to his purpose and what is going on around us at the moment. I agreed and he left, presumably to his own room to sleep. I hoped he'd be alright. Two soul transfers in one day might be too much for him.

Pushing the thought away for the moment, I hopped up onto the book Two was using as a small desk, and sat down, crossing my legs to watch him work. As he wrapped a wire around the doorbell cover, he asked me, "So, where's One?"

I gazed at him in confusion, before realizing it'd be fairly obvious the One had to have been made before him, and I shook my head, "I don't know. He left after the Creator told him about his purpose and the war."

He hummed in confirmation, continuing his work on what I now recognized as a hat, "So, I assume you would know what the Creator would have wanted to tell me then?"

I smiled before nodding at him. He was, truly, a very intelligent stitchpunk, "Yeah, you were made to inspire us," he nodded and I continued to tell him about our war with the machines, omitting everything that the Creator told me not to mention. Two seemed to take it rather well, even showing concern for the man that had given each of us a portion of his soul (though I didn't tell Two that he shared his soul with us, no need to worry him further).

Two sighed as I finished talking, placing his, now finished, hat on his head, "Well, I suppose I had better go and find One."

He turned to leave and I jumped up and grabbed his arm, "What? Out there?"

Startled, he looked at me, his optics widened slightly, "You could come too, you know."

I shook my head and looked at the door where the Creator had gone through earlier, "I can't leave him. He still needs me to help make the others. And, I still need to fulfill my purpose here."

He nodded in understanding, patting my hand gently and I let go of him, "I understand, Zero. But, I need to fulfill my purpose as well. And, to do that, I need to find One. Understand?"

I frowned sadly and nodded at him, "Yes, but just make sure you both stay safe. OK?"

He smiled, patting my hand one more time, and left. I helped him to climb down off the desk, and watched his departing form as he walked out the door, and into the war zone, to find One. I sighed as I jumped back up to the desk, settling down in my nest of fabrics, and went to sleep for the night. The last thought in my head being, the Creator was unable to say goodbye, as my optics succumbed to fatigue.

**~~~~Zero~~~~**

I woke up to an abnormally loud explosion that shook the room. The fighting was getting closer, but I resisted the urge to open the shutters and look. I didn't know if the machines would have been able to see me, but I wasn't going to risk giving away our hiding place to satisfy my curiosity.

I jumped as the Creator opened the door, running inside and began sketching more designs on a paper. I walked up to him, "What's wrong?"

He looked up, the fatigue from before hadn't completely left his eyes from yesterday as he responded, "The machines are getting closer, and we're running out of time!" Turning back to his drawing, he continued, "I'll need to create, at least, three more of you stitchpunks today and, hopefully, three more tomorrow."

My optics widened in surprise, six of us in a mere two days! That could kill him! I stated thus, and he gently responded, "I don't have much of a choice, Zero. A friend of mine from the rebellion will be here in three days, and I need you to help with these next six. Understood?"

I wondered at the statement, doesn't he mean seven? He'd still need to make Nine as well, but my only response was to look at his drawing. He was making two that looked nearly identical, "Twins?"

He nodded, "Yes, twins. They will be as identical as they can be. Though, I plan on having you built Four, while I work on Three." My head snapped up to him in surprise._ I'd be working on one of them myself?_ He smiled at me, "I know you can do it, Zero. You remember everything from when we built One and Two, correct?" I nodded, "Then you'll do just fine," He patted my head, finished in his designs, and grabbed us both supplies. We both began to work on the two, smaller, stitchpunks in front of us.

We both worked at the same pace, and I would pause every few moments, just to be sure I remembered everything correctly. As we both finished the frames for Three and Four (and the Creator turned away to get the cloth to be used for their skin), I compared the two. Although they were built identically, Four was just a titch smaller than Three. I cocked my head to the side in thought, though they were supposed to be identical twins, I felt it gave them more character to be slightly different.

The Creator placed the cloth in front of me (it turned out to be two garden gloves), and we set to work in putting them on their frames. It took much work, but (after a few hours) we were finally finished, and I stepped back to view our work. Both of them looked, for lack of a better word, adorable. The thumb of the gloves flowed back to make a sort of cape on both of them, with the wrist part giving them a hood. Their numbers were placed on their chests, with Three having his on the left, and Four's on the right. I smiled as the Creator tied Three to the device, and transferred his soul, looking away as the actual transfer took place, and repeated the process with Four.

As the Creator sat back in his chair (looking extremely worse for wear), the twins both woke up at the same time, jumping up from where the Creator had placed them on the desk, and flickered their optics at each other. Though their language was different from what I was used to, I was surprised to find that I could understand them! I learned rather quickly that they were cataloging each others appearance, and I laughed at the sight. Slightly startled, the two jumped and, after realizing it was me that had made the noise, ran towards me rather quickly.

I was taken by surprise as they both began to poke and prod me, cataloging my own appearance while chatting rapidly to one another, _"Wow, look at her hands!"_

"_Her skin is so soft! What is this fabric?"_

"_She has a zero on her back! Does that mean she was made first?"_

"_Why are there snaps on her chest?"_ Three started to unsnap me, but I pushed away his hands.

"Whoa, there! Three, that is not something that you need to be looking at!" He flashed an apology at me, before the two started bombarding me with questions. I tried my best to answer them, while the Creator watched on in amusement. I was able to tell that, while Three is a boy, Four is a girl.

It rather astounded me that, though they were designed to be identical, they turned out to be different genders. However, now that I was able to observe them, it did seem to fit. Four was a bit more timid than her brother, and always seemed to be directly behind him, using him as a shield. I told them everything that I told Two concerning the war, and managed to tell them their purposes (to define and teach us). They were very interested in cataloging everything in the room, so the Creator and I left them to their own devices, while we started working on Five.

The design for Five was much more simple, and only took us a fraction of the time than the others had. The frame and his skin didn't take long either, as he was made completely of burlap, with two buttons down his front. The entire time the Creator and I had been working on Five, the twins had been reading his books. Studying each page like their lives depended on it, and carefully putting it back where it was found when they finished. I laughed at their antics as the Creator tied Five to the frame, ready to transfer part of his soul to Five. Seeing as I already knew about this part, I took the twins with me into the other room. The Creator didn't want the other stitchpunks to see the transfer, so I respected his wishes.

Once I was sure that the twins would be thoroughly entertained in here, I returned to the Creator to find he had already untied Five, and the newly awoken stitchpunk was merely sitting in the Creator's hand. I leaped up onto the desk as Five was put down, and I immediately went to work on attaching his voice box. I smiled at the young stitchpunk, and he smiled back. He seemed like a very trusting punk, and I'm sure I would get to like him well enough.

As I finished attaching his voice box, Five spoke to us, "Hello, who are you?"

I chuckled a little before answering, "I'm Zero, it's nice to finally meet you, Five," I held out my hand and, after regarding it for a moment, he shook it. I pointed up to the Creator, "He created us," I looked up at our Creator, expecting him to start explaining Five's purpose to him, but found him fast asleep in his chair.

Smiling, I gestured for Five to follow me. Hopping down off the desk, I grabbed a spare blanket kept by the door and, with Five's help, we dragged it over to the Creator and covered him up, making sure he would be warm for the night. After I removed his glasses and placed them on the desk, I lead Five to the other room, where the twins were currently reading the very book that I had learned about different animals an their various gaits and characteristics.

As soon as I shut the door, they rushed over to Five and me, and began cataloging his appearance. I laughed as Five looked somewhat alarmed, "Don't worry, Five. They're only cataloging."

"They're what?" He looked back at me as Three pulled his right arm one way, while Four pulled his left arm the other.

"Think of them as librarians, and they're storing away information about you for later use," He nodded, though he still looked a bit confused as the twins finished. I went up to him and pulled him along, the twins going back to the book of animals, "Now then, I suppose it's time I told you about yourself, hmm?" He looked up at me, expectantly, as I continued, "You, Five, were built to guide us. Sort of an engineer that can help the others survive this ongoing war."

He frowned, "War? War with what?"

I smiled kindly at him as I sat onto a book, laying on it's side, and he sat next to me, "With the machines, unfortunately. The humans created the machines, and they ended up turning against their own creators. Now, their only goal is to destroy everything," Five nodded and stood up, walking to an old record player.

"What's this?" The twins stopped reading and went to Five to see what it was he was asking about.

I hopped up and walked over, "That's a record player."

"What's it do?"

"Well, you place a record on it, then the needle goes over top the record, and, when you turn it on, it reads the record and plays music."

The twins flashed their optics at one another, and Four tugged on my arm. I looked down to her and she asked me, _"What's music?"_

I thought for a moment. The technical definition came to mind, but I figured, they would actually need to hear it to understand. So, I smiled at the three younger stitchpunks, and walked over to the records propped up next to us. Looking through them, I picked out one that looked promising, and pulled it out of it's cover.

"Five? Could you help me a moment?" Five, who had been watching me with rapt attention, rushed over and helped me lift the record onto the player. I placed the needle onto the record, and jumped down, turning on the record player, and sitting on the book from earlier to listen to the music, the twins sitting on either side of me, while five sat on the floor. The record began, and string instruments could be heard as a woman began singing,

"Baby mine, don't you cry  
Baby mine, dry your eyes  
Rest your head close to my heart  
Never to part, baby of mine

Little one when you play  
Don't you mind what you say  
Let those eyes sparkle and shine  
Never a tear, baby of mine

If they knew sweet little you  
They'd end up loving you too  
All those same people who scold you  
What they'd give just for  
The right to hold you

From your head to your toes  
You're so sweet, goodness knows  
You are so precious to me  
Cute as can be, baby of mine

Baby mine, baby mine."

As the song ended, I looked at the two twins, who had fallen asleep leaning against me, and I smiled. They were so adorable. I glanced at Five who, with a jerk of my head, got the message to turn off the record player. I carefully got up, placing the twins down, and grabbed a few rags to serve as blankets for them. As Five settled down for the night himself, he said softly, "Goodnight, Zero."

I smiled, and rested myself beside the twins, "Goodnight, Five," falling asleep shortly, glad in the thought that I knew these wonderful stitchpunks.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, people's! I had to post this chapter! And, I have a poll going right now in regards to this story! If you are unable to vote on my profile (or you can't find it) you can submit your vote in the reviews! I will give you the choices, the poll is, Who should Zero romance in this story? The choices are, Six, A Future OC, or A THIRD OPTION that has been predetermined by the author even though I have no clue as to what it might be!**

**Now then, I will reply to the reviews!**

**5x10 Love- Awe, I'm sorry to here you were depressed. Another thing, PEOPLE ASK ME THE SAME THING ALL THE TIME! It's like, WTF? I can't think while reading or playing a video game? I'll, seriously, be playing a video game, and my boyfriend'll be like, "Are you OK?" NO! I'm not OK! Cause your pointless question caused my planed to crash, and I failed the freaking mission! … Moving on, who did you think was the friend in the rebellion? You'll find out in this chapter, I'm just curious.**

**Skullwitch- Yes, I am a miss. Though, I have been confused for an elderly Chinese man before. I'm Norwegian just so you guys know. No Chinese whatsoever in my bloodline. Maybe some Native American, but we don't really know who my grandfather is. And, if you go to the 9 wiki, it will state that, on the dog tag on Two's head, it does say "Shane Acker." I was surprised when I read that!**

As I woke up early the next morning, it was still dark out, and I stretched my arms, yawning softly. I looked at the other stitchpunks, they were still asleep, and I got up slowly. I made my way to the other room, careful to not wake the others, and found the creator already working on a new stitchpunk. Surprised, I ran up to him and, using my rather powerful legs, jumped from the floor to the desk. He was already putting the finishing touches on him, and he was, by far, the most unique stitchpunk yet.

Six was made of a striped, silk, cloth, with two mismatched optics, and thick, white, yarn made up a small bundle of hair on the top of his head. Instead of the regular fingers that was used for the others, Six had pen nubs for his fingers. A key hung around his neck, and I pondered what that key went to. As the Creator finished with Six, and began to tie him to the device, I decided to make myself known, "Why are you up so early?"

He jumped nearly a foot in the air, turning to me in surprise, "Oh, Zero. I could ask you the same thing!"

I raised a finger to the air, "Ah, but I didn't transfer three different parts of my soul in one day!" As he started the transfer, I started to become even more worried. _If he keeps this up, he won't be able to recover. Now that I think about it though, when was the last time he's eaten?_ I glanced up at the man who had given each of us life, and I came to the realization, I had never seen him eat anything ever since I was created! All animals needed to consume some source of nourishment, including humans. If he didn't, then he would starve!

I was broken from my reverie, again, from the Creator ending the transfer. I took it upon myself to untie Six, and was barely able to lower him to the desk as he woke up.

Six started looking around the room anxiously, and I had to assure him he was fine before he would let me approach him. He clutched his key tightly as he wandered around the desk, me following close behind. He was an odd stitchpunk, I'll say that, but he was interesting. As he spotted a pile of papers next to a bottle of ink, he rushed forward, quickly unscrewing the top of the bottle and drawing away on the paper.

The Creator started talking to him, but Six didn't seem very interested in what he had to say. So, the Creator went to working on the design for Seven. But, I jerked the pen out of his hand, determined to make him eat something.

"You haven't eaten anything yet, go get something," I pointed to the door and he shook his head.

"Zero, I have very little time left, we need to finish the others-"

"You need to eat. I'm not giving this pen back until you do," To prove my point, I clutched the pen close to me. When he tried taking it, I ran away and he sighed.

"Alright, Zero. You win. I'm going," He stood up, stretching as the blanket that Five and I covered him with fell to the floor. He walked out of the room, leaving the door open. I ran to the door, I wanted to check if the others were awake yet, but I found that they were gone. More then likely, the twins had finished cataloging everything here, and they left to see the rest of the world. Five probably followed them to make sure they stayed safe, and I went back to keep an eye on Six, and hopefully learn more about him.

As I approached Six, I found he had already finished quite a few drawings. All of them depicting the talisman. I smiled, he finished them so quickly, and I knelt next to him, "Can you draw anything else?"

He looked up at me for a moment before turning back to his drawing, again, of the talisman. I laughed, turned towards the door, and started humming the lullaby that the twins and Five had heard last night. Six grabbed a new page, but I didn't pay much attention, still humming my song.

I stopped as I felt Six grab my arm. Turning, I saw he was holding a drawing to his chest. I reached out my hand, and, as he handed it to me, I gasped. He had drawn me! It was masterfully done, and I've never seen anyone do the things he was able to do with ink! Not even in the books our Creator owned. It showed me, sitting away from him with a small smile on my face.

He looked away, shyly, and I couldn't resist giving him a hug. He was too adorable. As he pulled away, I made to give him the picture back, but he pushed it back to me, "You keep it. You'll need it more," I looked at him in confusion. What does he mean? However, instead of clarifying, he merely turned back to his drawings. Smiling softly, I rolled up the picture and placed it inside my chest for safekeeping, just as the Creator came in.

"There now, I've finished eating. Now we can get to work," As I looked at his design for Seven so far, I could tell straight away that this stitchpunk was a girl. She was simple, much like Five, but she was much more slender than he was. As we were building her frame, I noticed that Six was still drawing on the desk. I was about to help him move to the other room, when the Creator stopped me, "Leave him, he's fine."

I looked from him to the striped stitchpunk, "But, you said-"

"Yes, I know. But I have a feeling that Six knows about it anyway. He seems to absorb things about this world, that the rest of you are unable to," I was confused, but I didn't pursue the subject. It would probably just end up confusing me even more.

It took us about as long to create Seven as it did Five, and the Creator started transferring his soul to her. I went over to Six at this time, unable to watch the transfer anymore. As I sat down beside Six, he seemed to sense how I felt, for he wrapped an arm around me, halting in his drawings. He released me as soon as the transfer was complete, and turned back to his drawings. Before turning back to the Creator and Seven, I pondered Six for a moment. He was a strange one.

As I turned to Seven, I noticed she was rather tense. The Creator managed to tell her of her purpose, and the doorbell went off. I started, in the whole time I had been awake, we had never had a visitor. The Creator seemed flustered as well, but got up to answer the door anyway.

As the Creator left, and I finished in placing Seven's voice box, she turned to me, "Who are you? And who is that behind you?"

I smiled at her, "I'm Zero, and the punk behind me is Six," Six was oblivious to the exchange (at least, to my knowledge he was), and the Creator walked in with another person close behind him.

I've never seen another human apart from our Creator, and I was fascinated with how different this human was. He still had the pale skin like the Creator, but his hair was thicker, and longer, and was kinda wavy. He had a strange mustache/beard combo, and was slightly graying. The two turned to me, and the Creator spoke, "Zero, this is my friend from the rebellion, Tim Burton. Tim, this is Zero, she knows everything on how I've created the stitchpunks."

"Fascinating," He remarked as he bent down to my height, softly pulling at my arms. Seven started forward, seeking to protect me but I waved her off.

"Zero," I turned to the Creator as he started talking to me again, "The reason he's here, is because he'll be taking you to the rebellion."

I looked at him in confusion, "But, what about the others?" He frowned sadly.

"Unfortunately, their purposes require them to remain here. You, on the other hand, are required to go with Tim," I looked down, horrified. I wanted to stay here. The Creator lifted my head, gently, "Zero, there is a chance that you'll see the others again. Just as soon as their purposes here are fulfilled."

I nodded to him as I remembered Two. He knew he had to follow his purpose, even though it lead him out into danger. Who was I to deny what I was created to do, just because I wanted to stay with my friends? I turned to Seven, "Will you watch over the others? Make sure they stay out of trouble?"

She smiled at me, placing both hands on my shoulders, "Of course, Zero. Until we meet again."

Six managed to spring up behind me, and I started. _How the hell did he do that?_ "Zero, be careful in the dark."

I blinked in surprise, did he mean to try not to trip? I would think that'd be obvious, but I sensed there was something more to it. He gave me a quick hug, leaving me all the more bewildered, before he returned to his drawings. Although I wanted to know what he meant, I walked to the Creator's friend, Tim. He held out a hand to me, and I walked onto it. He placed me on his shoulder as I held on, the Creator turning to me, "Remember, I need you to remember everything that I had shown you, and anything you may learn about humans. You are one of the few hopes we have of preserving our humanity in this war."

I nodded to him, and Tim turned, walking out the door, and into the war zone. I would be seeing the destruction caused by the machines for the first time. I struggled not to scream as my optics gazed on the landscape before me. Cars were overturned, building destroyed, and bodies littered the street. It seemed not to have any effect on Tim though, because he didn't even pause at the destruction before us, instead, he continued on.

"The rebellion entrance is located just over this hill, in the sewers," I nodded in confirmation, my optics still trained on the sight around us. I almost fell forward as Tim stopped suddenly, the reason becoming apparent immediately. Underneath the constant droning of bombs and bullets, that had become so common, a deep thudding could be heard. It resembled footsteps and, as Tim turned to look behind us, I saw what was making them. It was a giant, bipedal machine, with a dome-shaped top, and a single, red eye hovering just above a gun pointed towards our direction. As the machine began to fire, Tim ran.

We managed to reach the top of the hill as Tim fell forward, tumbling down the other side. I fell off his shoulder, landing a few feet away from him. I felt a sharp pain in my hand, but I paid it no mind as I ran alongside Tim (who had managed to get to his feet). The metal door leading to the sewers were just ahead of us, and I easily kept up with Tim as he ran towards them. They seemed to be very heavy, as when Tim pulled on them, he was barely able to get them to move. As the machine stalked closer, I was becoming more alarmed. I couldn't die here! Not before I made it to the rebellion! Tim managed to open the doors just far enough for us to slip through, and it slammed shut behind us. Extinguishing all light, and leaving us in pure darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

**Mmm, I finally managed to post this. I would've posted this days ago, however, I got into a car accident and I had to put off finishing this chapter. Plus, this chapter was a bit difficult to write. But, you'll be happy to know that Ten makes her debut this chapter! Also, I closed the poll, and it was a three way tie! I'm so disappointed! But, I'll just go with option number three! Hopefully, you'll all be surprised! The humans in this story don't belong to me, they belong to Jenny Jen on deviant art and Ten belongs to 5x10 Love!**

**5x10 Love- WAIT NO LONGER! Ten has arrived! And, don't worry, she'll have a greater role than she did this chapter.**

**Skullwitch- You'll find out soon! Not sure _how_ soon, but soon!**

It seemed like Tim had been walking forever. After we managed to escape from the machine, Tim began panicking, looking around in every direction for me. I managed to grab his attention, assuring him that I made it safely into the tunnels behind him. He turned on a flashlight, and shined it in my direction until he finally found me. My hand had been broken when he fell, and it pained me considerably. My fingers bent at odd angles and it was difficult (and rather painful) to move them. Tim managed to pick me up, and we began walking down the tunnel.

Tim had told me earlier, that the rebellion was located deep underground. Which was good, because he had heard rumors of a gas in production by the machines. At his words, I began to worry. Would the Creator be alright?

Tim started talking again, something about how thrilled the others would be to see me, but I didn't pay too much attention to him. I was thinking about what the rebellion would be like. I didn't have to think too long, as Tim pointed out another thick steel door in front of us. Shutting off his flashlight, he started pulling on the door, and a bright light shone out from the growing crack. I looked on in awe at the sight before me. I've never seen so many humans! The majority of humans consisted of adults, all working on one project or another, building, carrying supplies, and various other jobs, but there were children as well. All the children were running around and playing games with each other. Looking at the scene in front of me, I would never have been able to guess that there was a war going on above us.

Tim started walking again and I had to shift my weight to prevent falling off of his shoulder. We passed various stands in the marketplace as Tim walked with a purpose. I had no clue as to where he was taking me, but I trusted him. After passing through the market, Tim walked up a small flight of steps, and walked into an office area. Inside, there was a man and a woman, both looking over a map laid out over a desk. They both looked up as Tim closed the door.

"Ah, Tim, you found him, I assume?" The man spoke up, he was quite a bit younger than the Creator, but he seemed to look a lot like him. He had his eyes, I noticed that right away, and I had to guess that they were related in some way. His hair was very short, and was salt and pepper colored, and he was wearing a denim jacket. He walked over to Tim, held his hand out to me, and I walked onto it. He carefully placed me on the desk, and I looked up at them. They smiled at me kindly as the man continued, "My name is Rufus," he motioned to the woman next to him, "and this is my wife, Martha."

The woman waved to me in greeting, and I took the opportunity to study her appearance. She was rather slender, and had very kind, ice blue eyes. Her hair was a sleek black that hung behind her in a ponytail. She was wearing a blue blouse, with a silver chain around her neck. A necklace, I realized.

I looked back to the man named Rufus, "You look a lot like my creator."

Rufus smiled at me before answering, "Well, I should hope so, he's my father," I blinked at him, stunned slightly. The Creator had a family? I wonder if he ever misses them? I was drawn from my thoughts as Rufus continued speaking, "I assume he's told you why you were sent here?"

I nodded to him, "Yes, he said that I was created to remember. Remember the history of the human race and your culture, to pass on to future generations."

Martha nodded, and she spoke up, "Yes, but surely, there must be another reason?" I shook my head. No other reason came to mind.

Tim spoke this time, "What she means is, we would like you to teach us how to make more of you stitchpunks. If you're able to, that is."

I frowned slightly, directing my words to Rufus, "You do realize, this information could have serious repercussions, don't you?" They all nodded, "And yet, you still want me to teach you?" Again, they nodded, and I sighed, rubbing my head in thought, "This isn't something that everyone should know."

Rufus shook his head, "Only a trusted few shall know anything about how you all are created."

I nodded, "I would like to meet them, if you don't mind. I need to know if they are trustworthy."

**~~~~Time skip~~~~**

Word seemed to spread throughout the underground rebellion, and soon, everyone that would know about how I was created had gathered in the room. Of course, it would include Tim, Martha, and Rufus. Rufus and Martha because they were the leaders of the rebellion, and Tim because he was my creator's most trusted friend and colleague. Along with them, three other people were chosen to watch the process.

One was a very young man, he looked no older than twenty. But, he seemed like a nice kid. He had bright red hair, and emerald green eyes, and he sported a thick, leather jacket that was stained with oil in various places. If I had to guess, I would think he was the mechanic. I learned his name was Adam.

The other was a woman, maybe a few years older than Adam. She had blond hair, a color I had not seen in any other person's hair, and her eyes were the darkest shade of brown that they almost looked black. She was wearing a white shirt with a cream-colored apron over top. Her name was Emily.

The last was a much older man. He was wearing a tweed jacket, and had a monocle resting over his left eye. He was nearly bald (much like the Creator), and what little hair he did have, was pure white. His name was Lionel.

They seemed like nice people, trustworthy? Very much so. I looked to Rufus, and asked him how he planned to create more stitchpunks. He looked over to Tim, nodded, and the colleague of my creator pulled out a small disk, similar to the talisman that I had seen before. My optics widened in surprise and I leaped forward, grabbing the disk and studying it. I looked up to Tim, "Where did you get this?"

Tim, who had been stunned by how quickly I had moved, shook his head slightly, "Umm, Lionel and I worked alongside Rufus' father, and this is the prototype to the talisman he used to make you."

I nodded in understanding, glancing down at the disk now resting in my hands. It did seem a little more cluttered with it's symbols than the other talisman, "But, will it work just as well as the one that came after it?"

Tim thought a moment, and looked over at Lionel who answered for him, "It should, I mean, in theory. We never, actually, tested it," I frowned, that could be a problem, "But," I looked up as he continued, "it did require a larger machine to work. I still have the plans for said machines."

"And you're sure that you could recreate it flawlessly?" Rufus asked this time.

"Of course! What do you take us for?"

I shook my head at the men as they continued bickering, and turned towards the two, younger, members of our party, "I'll show you two precisely how to make the inner workings, and the designs of the stitchpunks."

Adam smiled widely at me, "I can't wait to get started!"

"Yeah, it will be amazing working with you, Zero!" I grinned up at Emily, she was a very kind person. Looking back at the other three, I saw that Martha had stopped their fighting, and was scolding the men for such childish behavior.

As they all looked at me, I put a hand on my hip, the other hand holding the disk to my chest, "Are you three, quite done?" They smiled at me, embarrassed that they would need to be scolded by someone much smaller than them, and nodded. I gave them a quick nod, looking at all of them in turn, "Good. Then, let's get started."

**~~~~Time skip~~~~**

I was helping Emily put the finishing touches on the newest stitchpunk. Ten was the most unique stitchpunk that I had helped create. She was made of a canvas fabric that Emily had lying around, and Emily had the amazing idea to give her hair. Beautiful, white thread was used to make her hair, and it hung somewhat in front of her face, covering her left optic. Her carved hands were made of beautiful oak wood, and a gold metal was used for her fingers, and feet. She was plantigrade, like the other stitchpunks, because Adam decided that, since I wasn't sure as to how I was created, all the stitchpunks that we would create, would be plantigrade like the others. It was easier that way.

"She's absolutely beautiful, Zero!" Emily exclaimed, and I had to agree as she picked Ten up, gently, and brought her over to the machine that Tim and Lionel had recently completed. As she was hooked up, Tim looked over the machine, making sure that everything was where it was supposed to be. When he affirmed that everything was as it should be, I looked to them.

"So, who will be the one to offer their soul?" They all looked between each other, a slight grimace on their faces. They had asked me what the transfer would feel like, and I stoutly refused to answer. If I had told them, they might have never even attempted what we were doing right now.

Emily stepped forward, "I will, I suppose," I smiled kindly at her as she sat in front of the machine, and placed her head forward. I green light shone from her, and went into Ten. She jerked in surprise and the others yelled in surprise, but I stopped them before they could pull her away. The Creator had warned me about that. He said that if the transfer would ever be interrupted, it would cause extreme pain and irreversible harm to the donor of the soul, and the stitchpunk would be unable to withstand another attempt.

Emily jerked away from the machine when the light severed from the two. She looked over at me, "You knew it would be like that!"

I nodded to her, "I did, but, if I had told you, would any of you have attempted it? And you're feeling much better by now, aren't you?"

Emily nodded, and the others looked at her in surprise, "Are you sure you're OK, Emily?" Adam asked her, helping her sit back up, while I turned to Ten.

Ten was struggling to get out of her bonds, and I quickly made to help her. As soon as she was free, she leaped away from me, and took a defensive stance. The humans behind me stiffened, but I merely raised my hands, slowly picking up the voice box that would be hers, and walked towards her, speaking softly, "It's OK, Ten, I won't hurt you. None of them will, either. I just want to hook up your voice box, OK?" She narrowed her optics at me, but she nodded and allowed me to approach her.

After I hooked up her voice box, she asked me, "Who are you? What do you want?"

I smiled, "I'm Zero. I'm here to help these humans to make more of us, and to help you. I was built to remember, you were built to support us," She visibly relaxes as I turn to the humans, "I assume you can make the others without any help from me, right?"

They all nodded and Rufus told me, "Yes, we should do just fine. We'll only be making another five or so."

"That's fine, Rufus. Now, could you show Ten and I where we will be staying?"

"Oh! Let me do it, Rufus!" Adam yelled out, and his leader smiled, allowing him to take us where we needed to go. As Adam came closer to Ten and me, Ten started to back away, but she quickly followed as I climbed onto his hand. Adam put us on his shoulder, and he left the room, walking briskly down the hallway to another door. Opening it, he put us onto a large table that had a dollhouse on it. Ten and I walked in, Ten muttering a soft goodnight and went into the bedroom to sleep, while I lay on the couch, and drifted off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! I wanted to write more in this chapter, but I wanted to keep the next part that I plan on writing in one chapter! You'll have to wait and read what happens! Oh! I almost forgot! Today, I'll be having a guest appearing to respond to your reviews! Everyone, say hello to Zero!**

**Zero: Hey, How's it goin?**

**So, Zero, let's respond to some reviews, shall we?**

**Zero: I think we shall, Kyuubi! Unfortunately, only 5x10 Love reviewed for the last chapter..**

**Yes, although I do love hearing from you 5x10 Love, I'm very disappointed that you were the only one to respond! Any who.. Yeah, I'm fine from the car accident, nobody was hurt! Except my car.. :'( Oh, and I didn't realize that I made Ten's awakening so much like One and Seven! I think it was because she kinda seems like them a bit.**

**Zero: And, you're very welcome for describing you accurately, Ten! Hope you and 5x10 Love enjoy the next chapter describing my life, and Kyuubi and I will be sure that the next one is much longer! Correct, Kyuubi?**

**Of course, Zero! Now, ON WITH THE STORY!**

I awoke the next day, and decided to go check on Ten. However, as I opened the door to the bedroom, she wasn't there. Thinking quickly, I checked outside the dollhouse to find her sitting on the edge of the table, staring out across the room. I sat down next to her and stared out with her.

"What are you thinking about, Ten?"

She looked at me and I returned her gaze as she answered, "Zero, are there others? You know, like us?"

I sighed, and nodded to her, "Yes, there are others."

She blinked slowly and looked down before asking, "Where are they?"

"They're, more than likely, still above ground. Why?"

"Do you think I could ever meet them?"

I thought for a minute and stood up, "Before I answer that, I want to ask the rebels something," She nodded and I jumped down onto the floor, running to the door. Although the door was closed, there was a hole in the wall to my right. Rushing through it, I continued down the hallway to the office where I knew the rebel leader, Rufus, would be located. Although, when I reached the office, the door was closed and there was no hole for me to go through.

Stumped, I looked around to try and find another way to enter the office. I spotted some crates to the left, and saw they were tall enough for me to reach the doorknob. An idea in mind, I climbed onto the crates. At the top, I turned and looked to the door in front of me. The door was, about, a foot away but, for a small punk like me, that was pretty far. Hoping for the best, I leaped forward, grabbing the doorknob and turning it as my legs swung forward. The door opened, and I fell to the ground, landing on my back.

Groaning, I got up and walked into the office. Rufus and his wife, Martha, were standing and looking to the door. They were probably wondering why it opened. I ran over and jumped onto the desk, startling them a bit.

"Zero! What are you doing here?" Rufus asked me, easily snapping out of his startled state.

I cleared my throat and answered, "I wanted to tell you that Ten and I planned on visiting above ground for a bit."

Needless to say, Rufus was shocked at my statement. It was Martha who objected however, "Absolutely not! It's not safe up there! Certainly not enough for two small stitchpunks to traverse safely!"

"That is where you are wrong, Martha," She blinked at me in confusion, but allowed me to continue, "While, of course, it would be dangerous for any human to go up, the machines will not be looking for anything smaller than your kind. I assure you, Ten and I shall remain completely under the radar."

Again, Rufus spoke up, "Just, what do you hope to accomplish on this venture of yours?"

I looked down a moment, my left hand in my right as I thought of what I'd say, "I was hoping I'd find the others. The other punks, that is. Two and Five would, easily be able to fix my hand."

"Well, if that's it, why not just have Adam fix it?"

I shook my head, "Although Adam is a talented kid when it comes to building, I'm afraid he might not be mentally prepared to work on something that is alive," I looked up at the two, they seemed to agree with my reasoning, "Besides, Ten's been asking questions, she has a right to know about the others."

Martha spoke up, "How are we supposed to build the others while you're gone?"

I laughed, "Adam and Emily should be able to recreate them just fine. You don't need my help."

Rufus sighed, a hand on his face as he slowly replied, "Alright," His wife began to object and he cut her off, "Martha, dear, we can't keep them here against their will. And she does make some very good points. Besides, with how much of a help she's been, imagine how helpful she's be with two working hands," He turned to me, "How long will you two be?"

I thought for a moment, "At most? A month. If conditions permit."

"What conditions might those be?"

I shrugged, "If Two has the proper tools, whether, or not, they've reached a safe area, or if there are other injuries besides my own."

The rebel leader sat back in his chair while his wife seemed to become more frantic with my words as he told me, "I'll allow it. I'll even give you two months. But, hurry back as soon as you can, alright?"

I smiled at the two, running out of the office as I yelled back to them, "Of course! And thank you!" I was eager to return to Ten and tell her we'd be meeting the others sooner than I thought.

**~~~~XP~~~~**

Ten and I were currently running through various debris. Dodging humans running this way and that, and hiding every time a machine went by. Although I knew the general layout of the city (the Creator had a map that I had studied), I had no idea where to look first.

Ten and I ducked behind a crumbling wall as a walker went by. I could feel the ground shake with every step it took. I looked to Ten who had started digging through a pile of rubbish.

"What are you doing?"

"I thought I saw.. Ah-HA!" She said, pulling out a spiked barb. It looked big enough to work as a spear for her, so I helped her free it from the debris.

"Nice find, Ten. That should very be helpful!"

"Thanks, Zero," She smiled to me and I smiled back. She was a good kid. I peeked out from behind the wall. The machines were moving away from us, so we should be able to move without being seen.

I motioned for Ten to follow, and we made our way across the battle ground. There were many bodies across the area, most human while very few were machines that had been taken down. Though the sight saddened me, I was fairly used to seeing them, and merely frowned at the scene, walking on. I heard Ten gasp and turned to face her. She was holding her spear to the side and staring at the scene before us. My face softened, she was too young to see this, in my opinion. I placed a hand on her shoulder and lead her on.

Although the fighting could still be heard, we were far from the front lines, so we were in no danger of being hit by projectiles. I was more worried about stray machines that might be straggling behind the others.

As if they could hear my thoughts, a clattering was heard just a little way ahead of us. Ten pulled me behind a turned over munitions barrel, and we crouched down. I put a hand on her spear, and she handed it to me. Holding it close, I waited for the machine to draw closer to us. The soft pitter-patter of steps came closer and closer to where we were, and I readied myself to strike. Just as it was about to round the corner, I lunged, the ring of metal sounded as I connected. Looking up, I saw that the spear had been stopped by a shield. A shield attached to the arm of someone I immediately recognized.

"Seven!" I dropped the spear and rushed forward, enveloping the punk before me in a bear-hug, "Am I glad to see you!"

"Zero? What are you-? How did-?" I pulled away and she managed to get a better view of Ten, "Who's this?"

I turned around and pulled Ten forward, "Seven, this is Ten. The newest member of our family! I helped the rebellion to create her."

Ten smiled at her and held out a hand, "Nice to meet you, Seven."

Seven looked from her to me and shook her head, "Now's not the time. Let's get to the others first," She sped off the way she came from, and I looked to Ten who shrugged at me, and we followed.

Turns out, we weren't all that far from the others at all. They had settled in the old church and were safe from the machines for the moment. As we walked in, I took in the sight before me. The church was largely intact (with the exception of a plane lodged in the ceiling), and a few rooms were made by hanging spare sheets of fabric to serve as walls.

Seven yelled out as we walked in, "ONE! YOU OLD CODGER! COME OUT HERE!"

Ten and I couldn't help but giggle a bit at Seven's comment as One yelled Back to her, "What on earth could be so important as to call me out-" One stopped short when he caught sight of us, his mouth open in shock.

He was soon joined by Two, who shared the others shock, though he managed to speak, "Zero?"

I smiled brightly at the two, "Hey there, Two! How's it going?"

He laughed loudly and rushed forward to embrace me, "Oh, Zero! How wonderful it is to see you!" His outburst must have been heard by the others, as the twins, Five, and a larger stitchpunk soon joined us, Five and the twins rushing forward to give me a hug, while the large stitchpunk held back, a slightly confused look on his face.

The twins' optics flashed rapidly, both wondering where I had been, while Five voiced their question, "Where've you been?"

As they all gave me room, I waved a hand at them, "Oh, I've been around. Seeing the world and all that. OH!" I whirled around and pulled Ten forward, "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Ten! The rebellion created her with my help."

Their reactions were instantaneous upon seeing Ten. The twins began cataloging her appearance (Ten took it well, allowing them to examine her without objecting much), Two welcomed her with open arms, One was a bit suspicious with her, the stitchpunk I didn't know seemed like he could hardly care less, and Five, well, Five looked like a lovesick puppy. As I saw the expression on his face though, I noticed the patch covering his face.

"Wait just a moment," I started, frowning slightly and pointing to Five, "What happened to your face?" Everybody laughed at my statement (save One, though he did manage a smile), and I had to join in as I realized what I just said.

Five recovered the quickest, "Not much, just a bomb going off behind me, causing me to fall and my optic shattered," Ten looked like she was about to say something, but Five cut her off, "I don't mind it, of course. It's a bit easier for me only having one eye."

I smiled at them, and left the two to talk together while I approached Two, "Where's Six?"

Two's smile fell slightly, and I saw the twins share a glance with each other while One turned away, "Zero, umm. I'm not sure how to tell you, but Six isn't really well."

"What do you mean?" Immediately, I thought the worst. It must have shown on my face because Two waved his hands vigorously.

"Oh! No, nothing too serious! It's just, well, come with me," He put a hand to my shoulder and lead me past One and his guard.

I turned to Two as we walked along, towards the back of the church, "Who was that other stitchpunk?"

"Hmm? Oh! You must mean Eight! Yes, he and One had grown quite close over time. One mainly orders him around though."

I nodded, that sounded like One. As we approached the back of the church, I could hear a humming growing louder. As we rounded the corner of a church pew, the source of the humming was revealed to be Six, hunched over a piece of paper, drawing. His designated area completely covered in various pictures, mainly all the same drawing of the talisman that the Creator had. However, I did notice there were a few depicting me.

"Six!" I smiled, running toward him. He paused slightly, and looked up to me as I knelt next to him. I drew him close into a hug and he hugged me back. I pulled away from him and asked, "What are you drawing, Six?"

His face brightened as if he'd remembered something, and handed me the paper he had been crouched over, "For you."

Gripping the paper, my optics widened in surprise. Six had drawn a picture of me and Ten, crouched behind a munitions barrel. I was holding Ten's spear, ready to attack something on the other side. How could Six have known though? He's never even seen Ten before! I looked back at Two, he seemed just as surprised as I was.

I looked up at Six, who was smiling happily, "How did you-?"

He put a hand to his head, "Saw it. Saw you and Ten."

I smiled back at him, rolling up the picture and placing it inside me with the other drawing he gave me, "Thank you, Six," he nodded and turned around to draw some more. I stood up and walked away with Two, back to the others. As we were walking, I asked him, "Has he been drawing these for a while?"

Two nodded, "Yes, but the others, myself included, didn't think they meant much. I'll be keeping an eye on him from now on."

I nodded, smiling at the punk walking next to me, "Thank you, Two."


	6. Chapter 6

Hello from the grave, my loyal readers! Not really, but I have been gone for a long time, haven't I? I'm sorry that this isn't an actual update, I'll try to get new chapters up now that I FINALLY have internet again! However, work is being a bitch right now, so that may take some time. No worries though! I have not forgotten you! Or my stories for that matter! I don't really have much else to say. Now, I need to sleep cause I leave for work in a few hours, again... Hopefully you guys can bear with me a little longer!


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